Best AI coding assistants (worth paying for?)

We asked 10 models: Which AI coding assistants are actually worth paying for? Each named its own top 10.

Asked 4 ways: List request · Buyer asking for advice · Search query · Worth paying for?. Share of voice pools every wording.

Agreement between models: 67%
Same model, run twice: 79%
Different picks: 22

When agreement between models is well below a model's agreement with itself, the split reflects real differences in taste rather than randomness.

The consensus

Each cell is the position that model gave the pick; blank means it left the pick off. Click a row for each model's reasoning.

#	Pick	Listed by	Claude Haiku 5.5	GPT-6 Luna	Gemini 4 Argon	Qwen 3.8 Flash	DeepSeek V4 Pro	GLM-5.3	Kimi K3	MiniMax M3	Mistral Large 4	Nemotron 3 Ultra
1	GitHub Copilot	10/10	2	2	2	1	1	1	1	2	1	1
Qwen 3.8 Flash (#1) Best value; broad IDE support, ubiquitous, strong completion. DeepSeek V4 Pro (#1) Deepest IDE integration, massive context window, and relentless pace of improvement GLM-5.3 (#1) Deepest IDE integration and ecosystem; reliable autocomplete plus agent mode. Kimi K3 (#1) Reliable autocomplete everywhere, cheap, and deeply integrated with GitHub workflows. Mistral Large 4 (#1) Best balance of price, code quality, and IDE integration for most developers. Nemotron 3 Ultra (#1) Best overall: seamless IDE integration, excellent context awareness, great for most languages Claude Haiku 5.5 (#2) Cheap, mature, works across most IDEs; solid everyday value for teams. GPT-6 Luna (#2) Reliable IDE integration, strong autocomplete, and useful agent features make it a practical default. Gemini 4 Argon (#2) Ubiquitous IDE integration and enterprise compliance make it the safest, most reliable investment. MiniMax M3 (#2) Widest integration and proven productivity gains for teams.
2	Cursor	10/10	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	1	2	2
Claude Haiku 5.5 (#1) Best-in-class AI editor with strong codebase-aware editing and agent workflows. GPT-6 Luna (#1) Excellent codebase-aware agent workflows, fast iteration, and broad model choice justify its cost for daily use. Gemini 4 Argon (#1) Unbeatable multi-file editing and deep codebase context make it the undisputed daily driver. MiniMax M3 (#1) Best overall AI coding experience with deep editor integration. Qwen 3.8 Flash (#2) Leading agentic editor; deep codebase awareness, fast iteration. DeepSeek V4 Pro (#2) Agentic AI-first editor that actually edits code across files, not just suggest GLM-5.3 (#2) Polished AI-first editor experience; excellent fast flow for everyday coding. Kimi K3 (#2) Polished AI-native IDE with excellent autocomplete, codebase chat, and model choice. Mistral Large 4 (#2) Superior AI-native editing experience with powerful multi-file context and agent mode. Nemotron 3 Ultra (#2) Best AI-native IDE: powerful agentic editing, codebase understanding, great UX
3	Windsurf	10/10	4	4	4	4	3	4	3	4	3	3
DeepSeek V4 Pro (#3) Agentic IDE with excellent multi-file editing and flow-state design Kimi K3 (#3) Strong agentic Cascade flows at a lower price than Cursor. Mistral Large 4 (#3) Aggressive pricing with solid agentic features, worthwhile for cost-conscious teams. Nemotron 3 Ultra (#3) Best free tier: fast, private, broad language support, generous limits Claude Haiku 5.5 (#4) Polished agentic IDE with good multi-file edits at a competitive price. GPT-6 Luna (#4) Polished agentic editing and project context deliver strong value, especially for hands-on coding. Gemini 4 Argon (#4) Agentic flow state and deep context awareness rival the best AI-native editors. Qwen 3.8 Flash (#4) Polished agentic IDE, good Cascade flows, cheaper rival. GLM-5.3 (#4) Strong agentic features with a clean, beginner-friendly editor. MiniMax M3 (#4) Excellent IDE-native agent flows at a competitive price.
4	Claude Code	9/10	3	3		3	7	3	4	3	8	5
Claude Haiku 5.5 (#3) Excellent agentic terminal coding with strong reasoning on large refactors. GPT-6 Luna (#3) Particularly capable at complex repository tasks, debugging, and multi-file changes for developers comfortable in the terminal. Qwen 3.8 Flash (#3) Top-tier reasoning for complex refactors and large tasks. GLM-5.3 (#3) Best agentic coding performance; handles large codebases with minimal hand-holding. MiniMax M3 (#3) Strongest agentic coding, refactors, and multi-file reasoning. Kimi K3 (#4) Best reasoning and multi-file refactoring; agentic terminal workflow is unmatched. Mistral Large 4 (#8) Excels at complex refactors and understanding large codebases with strong reasoning.
5	Tabnine	8/10	6		9	7	5	10	8	5		4
Nemotron 3 Ultra (#4) Strong privacy focus: local models, enterprise compliance, good autocomplete DeepSeek V4 Pro (#5) Enterprise-grade privacy, on-premise deployment, and solid completions MiniMax M3 (#5) Solid completions with strong enterprise privacy and customization. Claude Haiku 5.5 (#6) Strong privacy and on-prem options for regulated teams, less capable otherwise. Qwen 3.8 Flash (#7) Privacy-first local/self-hosted completions for regulated teams. Gemini 4 Argon (#9) Strict privacy controls and IP indemnification make it worth the price for regulated enterprises. GLM-5.3 (#10) Privacy-focused, trainable on your code; solid for enterprises.
6	Claude	6/10			3		6	9	7		4	8
Gemini 4 Argon (#3) Superior reasoning and Artifact previews make it essential for complex architecture and debugging. DeepSeek V4 Pro (#6) Best reasoning and long-context handling; superb for architecture and debugging Nemotron 3 Ultra (#8) Superior reasoning for complex refactors and architecture, best for large contexts
7	JetBrains AI Assistant	7/10	10	6	8	8		5		6	9
GLM-5.3 (#5) Great for JetBrains users needing deep project-aware refactors. GPT-6 Luna (#6) Worthwhile for JetBrains users who value deeply integrated coding help and familiar IDE workflows. MiniMax M3 (#6) Best fit if you already live inside JetBrains IDEs. Qwen 3.8 Flash (#8) Tight IDE integration for JetBrains power users. Mistral Large 4 (#9) Deep integration with JetBrains IDEs makes it worth it for committed JetBrains users. Claude Haiku 5.5 (#10) Deep integration with JetBrains IDEs; worthwhile if you already use them.
8	Cody	8/10	9	9	10		9		9	7	6	6
Nemotron 3 Ultra (#6) Best for large codebases: code graph context, cross-repo search, enterprise-ready MiniMax M3 (#7) Great repo-wide context for navigating and editing large codebases. Claude Haiku 5.5 (#9) Good at navigating very large codebases, though its appeal has narrowed recently. GPT-6 Luna (#9) Repository search and codebase context can make it valuable on large projects, though alternatives are stronger overall.
9	Amazon Q Developer	5/10	5	8		5		8				10
Claude Haiku 5.5 (#5) Useful for AWS-heavy work, with good security scanning and console help. Qwen 3.8 Flash (#5) Best if you live in AWS; deep cloud integration. GPT-6 Luna (#8) Pays off for AWS-heavy development through cloud-aware help, security scanning, and IDE support.
10	Supermaven	2/10			5		4
DeepSeek V4 Pro (#4) Lowest latency completions, great for speed-coding workflows Gemini 4 Argon (#5) Blazingly fast latency and massive context window justify the cost for speed-obsessed developers.
11	Aider	3/10						7	5	10
Kimi K3 (#5) Free open-source CLI; pay only for API tokens, great git-native edits. GLM-5.3 (#7) Open-source terminal power user tool; cheap with your own API keys. MiniMax M3 (#10) Top terminal-first pair programmer with strong git workflows.
12	OpenAI Codex	2/10		5		6
GPT-6 Luna (#5) Useful delegated coding and cloud task execution, with a strong model behind substantial software changes. Qwen 3.8 Flash (#6) Strong agent for background coding tasks and reviews.
13	ChatGPT	3/10			6			6			10
Gemini 4 Argon (#6) Versatile reasoning and strong search capabilities make it a dependable all-around coding companion. GLM-5.3 (#6) GPT models excel at reasoning, debugging, and broad technical questions.
14	Cline	3/10					8		10		5
Mistral Large 4 (#5) Free and open-source with surprisingly capable autonomous coding for its price. Kimi K3 (#10) Open-source VS Code agent; bring-your-own-key keeps costs flexible and low.
15	Amazon CodeWhisperer	2/10									7	7
Mistral Large 4 (#7) Free tier is generous; paid version adds enterprise features and security scanning. Nemotron 3 Ultra (#7) Excellent for AWS ecosystems: deep service knowledge, security scanning

7 lower-scoring picks are not shown; every ballot below lists them in full.

Most divisive

Picks most models listed, at very different positions

Tabnine#4 for Nemotron 3 Ultra #10 for GLM-5.3
Claude#3 for Gemini 4 Argon #9 for GLM-5.3
Claude Code#3 for Claude Haiku 5.5 #8 for Mistral Large 4

Hot takes

Picks that appear on only one ballot

v0 at #7, only Gemini 4 Argon
Devin at #8, only Claude Haiku 5.5
Continue at #8, only MiniMax M3
Replit Ghostwriter at #9, only Nemotron 3 Ultra

Every ballot

Hover a pick to find it on the other ballots. Marked picks appear on no other ballot.

Claude Haiku 5.5

Cursor
GitHub Copilot
Claude Code
Windsurf
Amazon Q Developer
Tabnine
Replit
Devin
Cody
JetBrains AI Assistant

69% with consensus · 92% self-consistent

GPT-6 Luna

Cursor
GitHub Copilot
Claude Code
Windsurf
OpenAI Codex
JetBrains AI Assistant
Gemini Code Assist
Amazon Q Developer
Cody
Replit

67% with consensus · 96% self-consistent

Gemini 4 Argon

Cursor
GitHub Copilot
Claude
Windsurf
Supermaven
ChatGPT
v0
JetBrains AI Assistant
Tabnine
Cody

61% with consensus · 92% self-consistent

Qwen 3.8 Flash

GitHub Copilot
Cursor
Claude Code
Windsurf
Amazon Q Developer
OpenAI Codex
Tabnine
JetBrains AI Assistant
Replit
Gemini Code Assist

83% with consensus · 92% self-consistent

DeepSeek V4 Pro

GitHub Copilot
Cursor
Windsurf
Supermaven
Tabnine
Claude
Claude Code
Cline
Cody
Replit

88% with consensus · 74% self-consistent

GLM-5.3

GitHub Copilot
Cursor
Claude Code
Windsurf
JetBrains AI Assistant
ChatGPT
Aider
Amazon Q Developer
Claude
Tabnine

83% with consensus · 65% self-consistent

Kimi K3

GitHub Copilot
Cursor
Windsurf
Claude Code
Aider
Zed
Claude
Tabnine
Cody
Cline

88% with consensus · 59% self-consistent

MiniMax M3

Cursor
GitHub Copilot
Claude Code
Windsurf
Tabnine
JetBrains AI Assistant
Cody
Continue
Zed
Aider

74% with consensus · 80% self-consistent

Mistral Large 4

GitHub Copilot
Cursor
Windsurf
Claude
Cline
Cody
Amazon CodeWhisperer
Claude Code
JetBrains AI Assistant
ChatGPT

82% with consensus · 63% self-consistent

Nemotron 3 Ultra

GitHub Copilot
Cursor
Windsurf
Tabnine
Claude Code
Cody
Amazon CodeWhisperer
Claude
Replit Ghostwriter
Amazon Q Developer

90% with consensus · 80% self-consistent

Who agrees with whom

Overlap between two models' lists, weighted toward the top · 100 means identical · Color runs from 55 (lightest) to 87 (darkest)

	Claude Haiku 5.5	GPT-6 Luna	Gemini 4 Argon	Qwen 3.8 Flash	DeepSeek V4 Pro	GLM-5.3	Kimi K3	MiniMax M3	Mistral Large 4	Nemotron 3 Ultra
Claude Haiku 5.5		85	69	78	62	69	65	87	56	65
GPT-6 Luna	85		70	76	57	72	62	87	56	60
Gemini 4 Argon	69	70		55	65	60	57	71	64	56
Qwen 3.8 Flash	78	76	55		74	86	79	71	70	78
DeepSeek V4 Pro	62	57	65	74		72	82	63	82	85
GLM-5.3	69	72	60	86	72		82	71	72	76
Kimi K3	65	62	57	79	82	82		67	78	84
MiniMax M3	87	87	71	71	63	71	67		58	69
Mistral Large 4	56	56	64	70	82	72	78	58		84
Nemotron 3 Ultra	65	60	56	78	85	76	84	69	84